Doing The Gig Economy Thing!

[SiouzQ.]

I have two part-time jobs now, and am now off unemployment. One of my jobs is running ID's for a newly opened weed store in our village. Recreational marijauna became legal in New Mexico on April 1. I worked on Wednesday, which was 4/20 (big day for pot) and it was crazy-busy! I had no idea that so many people were in to it; I personally do not use it these days. I was a big pothead in high school way back in the '70's but didn't smoke it for several decades. I have found the new "boutique" stuff is WAY too strong for me! I have tried gummies and chocolates here and there but they don't do much for me. However, with the dreadlocks I sure do look the part sitting at the reception desk.

My other part-time job is at a high-end gallery in our little village. My first job I've ever had that I get a commission on sales from. I had a VERY good day on Monday; a huge sale of six pieces and by far the largest credit card purchase I have EVER punched into the credit card machine.

So things are on the upswing and I am going to be very busy next month from filling in for people and honoring commitments I made when I was unemployed over the winter. By June it will settle down to where I am working four days a week, days of my choosing for once! After a lifetime of retail, I deserve to get two days off in a row!

[pinkytoe]

Good news all the way around!

[KayLR]

What interesting work! Good for you!

[iris lilies]

Thanks for this update. It all sounds good.

[JaneV2.0]

Two jobs perfectly matched to you--couldn't be better!

[Tradd]

Glad to hear you’re doing well.

[Teacher Terry]

So happy for you!!

[ToomuchStuff]

Two "high" end jobs,eh?:~)

[rosarugosa]

Glad you've found some good opportunities, and they sound like they could be fun!

[catherine]

That is so cool!! Both gigs sounds interesting!

[Yppej]

Great news!

[SiouzQ.]

Thanks all! I really do miss my previous position managing the other gallery. I find that I have to work on letting go of some of my managerial tendencies like wanting to organize other people's work spaces to make them more efficient...in a way it is really nice not having to be responsible for some of the stuff but it can get boring not primping and organizing things. During my down-time at each job I either knit endless pairs of fingerless gloves (to sell in the fall), or lately I have been taking a small drawing pad with the start of a collage pasted in the pages and a little box with pencils/colored pencils to learn to how to draw again. I'm thinking that I would eventually like to start painting (probably abstracts) when when hands and wrists finally poop out from doing silversmithing.

[happystuff]

What a wonderful update, SiouzQ! Congrats!

[razz]

Good to hear such positive news that works well for you.

[SiouzQ.]

I'm not hacking it so well at the weed store - WAAAAAAY too much downtime + sitting= BORING! I remember now how much I HATED having to be a receptionist at a hair salon in a department store way back in the late '90's when I hurt myself being the store display person. There is only so much knitting (bad for my hands and wrists), drawing and looking at my phone incessantly for 8 hours that I can mentally take. I like my friend who started the shop, I like the guy I work with, and I like the pay but I cannot do it two days a week in a row. I told him today starting in June that I could only do Wednesdays (I can do anything one day per week) but if he needed to hire someone and give them more hours that they could take my one day.

I am super-busy for the next two weeks because I overbooked myself helping people out who are traveling and need their shop open. I just finished Day One of eight in a row...in June I will go back to the schedule I had originally planned for, working three days a week and making more of my own jewelry (all of the sudden it is selling really well and I need to get back in the studio and produce)!

I am proud of myself that finally at age 60 I can speak up and decide how I want to spend my time without feeling guilty somehow!

[iris lilies]

I'm not hacking it so well at the weed store - WAAAAAAY too much downtime + sitting= BORING! I remember now how much I HATED having to be a receptionist at a hair salon in a department store way back in the late '90's when I hurt myself being the store display person. There is only so much knitting (bad for my hands and wrists), drawing and looking at my phone incessantly for 8 hours that I can mentally take. I like my friend who started the shop, I like the guy I work with, and I like the pay but I cannot do it two days a week in a row. I told him today starting in June that I could only do Wednesdays (I can do anything one day per week) but if he needed to hire someone and give them more hours that they could take my one day.

I am super-busy for the next two weeks because I overbooked myself helping people out who are traveling and need their shop open. I just finished Day One of eight in a row...in June I will go back to the schedule I had originally planned for, working three days a week and making more of my own jewelry (all of the sudden it is selling really well and I need to get back in the studio and produce)!

I am proud of myself that finally at age 60 I can speak up and decide how I want to spend my time without feeling guilty somehow!

cool! So you are doing shop sitting? I can see in the Santa Fe area there would be quite a bit of need for that for me reliable person.

[SiouzQ.]

Yeah, pretty much just shop-sitting...I'm much better when I could manage a gallery/do the displays/inventory/ordering/contacting artists like at my old job. There was always lots of stuff to do, and when I finished all that I could go back in my studio and work on my jewelry.